Barnardo's Chief Executive - Javed Khan

Javed Khan is a leading figure in the UK public and voluntary sectors, with thirty years’ experience developing a track record of successfully managing change through key high profile leadership roles.

Javed is Chief Executive of Barnardo's, the UK's oldest and largest children’s charity. With HRH The Queen as its Patron, Barnardo’s runs 960 services in local communities, including support for children who have been sexually exploited, young people leaving the care system, children with a parent in prison and families struggling to cope. Barnardo’s also finds loving adoptive homes and foster placements for children in care. Last year it helped transform the lives of more than 240,000 of the UK’s most vulnerable children, young people and their families. Many more were helped by campaigning to change policy and public opinion. He leads a staff team of over 8,500, with 16,000 volunteers across 960 services, with a retail chain of 640 shops, making it the seventh largest charity in the UK. As a British Pakistani, he is the first non white CEO in Barnardo’s 150 year history.

Previously, Javed was CEO at Victim Support, which helps over a million victims and witnesses each year, having 600 sites across England and Wales. Under Javed’s leadership the charity successfully managed significant change where it restructured itself; embraced major financial challenges; raised its public and political profile; generated new business opportunities, and was recognised in major awards including short lists for Charity of the Year, Best Campaign of the Year, Best Partnership Initiative and the Queen’s Jubilee Award.

Javed joined Victim Support in 2010, from the Government Office for London where he was the Executive Director to the London Serious Youth Violence Board. In this senior civil service role he worked across London’s key agencies to reduce serious youth violence.

In December 2003 Javed joined London’s Harrow Council, as Director of Education, making history as the UK's first British Pakistani in such a post. During this period the borough saw a 40% reduction in school exclusions, and the creation of the country’s first Sixth Form Collegiate leading to the lowest level of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) in England. By 2006 Harrow had been recognised as the 4th best achieving local education authority in the country. In 2007 he took on the role of Harrow’s Director of Community and Cultural Services, and led the department from ‘poor’ to a ‘good’ external inspection outcome.

He was previously Assistant Director of Education in Birmingham, where he led a team of over 3000 staff. During this period he helped the Education Department achieve ‘Excellent’ status under Ofsted inspections.

Javed’s parents, having emigrated from Kashmir in Pakistan, could neither read nor write. Growing up in the humble backstreets of inner city Birmingham, his comprehensive education led to a Mathematics degree and then on to teacher training. He began his teaching career in the West Midlands, and then made rapid progress through the education sector holding posts of Head of Mathematics, Assistant Principal and then Director of Development in a large further education college.

He is a member of the Advisory Board for the Children’s Commissioner for England and a lay member on a London Clinical Commissioning Group. Javed works with ministers at the highest level, and is a regular contributor in the media and at national and international conferences. In September 2015 Javed’s career achievements were recognised when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Birmingham City University.